I haven't watched "Spartacus" yet - but this was a great interview. Steven DeKnight always seems like such an interesting and down-to-earth guy, which is a winning combo.

The bit about working with Joss starts at about 7:39.

Kristin/TH: "So, we also know that you've written two extremely popular shows - that Dennis and I both love - Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. You got to work with Joss Whedon. How did that prepare you for creating your own show?"

Steven: "It was - working with Joss Whedon was the best preparation for running your own show you could ever have. The great thing about Joss is that he trains showrunners. He wanted you involved in everything. He wanted you involved - you were at the production meetings, you were in editing, you were on the set, you were in casting. Joss really taught me so much about story. And the great thing about working on especially Buffy, is that his feeling was, you know, it's not a Monster of the Week Show. Yes, there is a Monster of the Week, but that monster is a metaphor used to to illuminate our characters."

I had the pleasure of sitting down with him for 10 minutes at Comic-Con last year with another Whedonesquer for a chat. He's a really nice guy, and very clued onto story and what fans like about his work. I think this guy is going to be telling his own tales on TV for some time to come.